THE CANADIAN PRESS
Week 9 of the CFL season includes the most anticipated matchup of 2015. It also brings us some interesting narratives of teams trying to bounce back from miserable Week 8 outings. On top of all that, one winless team still remains in this league and it better be fired up coming off its bye week. Let’s take a look at this week’s top stories.
3. Rivalry renewed
Whether the Riders are 0-7 or 7-0, a game against the Calgary Stampeders is always going to be notable. These two teams have built up a strong dislike of one another over the last decade, and that dislike translates regardless of where the teams sit in the West Division standings. As such, the Stamps would love nothing more than to add to Saskatchewan’s 2015 misery. By the same token, getting their first win of the season against Calgary would make the accomplishment that much sweeter for the Riders.
Saskatchewan is coming off its bye week and I can’t imagine it was as enjoyable as it could have been. Earning that first win against the defending Grey Cup Champs won’t be easy, but it’s not unfathomable either. Other than a Week 6 beating at the hands of Edmonton, the Riders have been in every game they’ve played. Calgary, on the other hand, has one resounding victory as part of its 5-2 record and that came last week against Ottawa. I still think the Stamps are the better team, but by no means is this Saturday night meeting a foregone conclusion.
2. Time to bounce back
Both the BC Lions and Ottawa REDBLACKS took it on the chin last weekend. The Leos were crushed 52-22 by Hamilton in a game that was far more lopsided than the score suggests. The REDBLACKS, on the other hand, didn’t have an answer for Calgary in any facet of their game en route to a gruesome 48-3 setback. What are these two teams capable of as they get right back at it in Week 9?
The Lions open the week on Thursday when they welcome Montreal looking to shed the enigmatic tag they’ve started to acquire. BC has looked really, really strong at times this year but has lacked in consistency. As for Ottawa, its game against Toronto has significant East Division implications, so the REDBLACKS better be able to put the mistakes that plagued them last week in the past.
1. The marquee
I think it’s safe to say Friday night’s meeting between the Tiger-Cats and Eskimos and Commonwealth Stadium is the most anticipated one of the season (which is why CFL.ca made it the Marquee Matchup for Week 9). The stories write themselves in this one. You have the league’s highest-scoring offence (by a mile) in Hamilton taking on the CFL’s most vaunted defensive group. Edmonton’s Marcus Howard leads the league with six sacks while Ticats quarterback Zach Collaros is statistically the circuit’s best right now. This is must see.
I give the slight edge to the Eskimos on Friday night, mostly because they’re playing at home. The most crucial matchup in this game comes when Edmonton has the ball, because even its feared defence isn’t able to perform the way we’re used to if it’s always on the field. The Eskimos have to control the ball better than they did against Montreal last week, that’s for sure. Hamilton is so deadly right now that giving it continual opportunities with good field position is going to yield far more than Montreal’s 15 points in Week 8.
